brent: this is "dw news," live from berlin. tonight, france have booked their place in the world cup final thanks to a 1-0 victory over belgium. they are going to their first final in 12 years. also coming up, mission accomplished. those 12 boys and their coach who were trapped inside a cave in northern thailand have all been rescued.

the last four members of the wild boars football team and her coach emerged earlier today. they joined the others in n a local l hospital where they are all said to be in good shape. and the widow w of a jailed chinese dissident anannobel peace prize lalaureate has been freed anand has arrived here in berlin. the german government had been pushing for liu xia's release since her husband died in custody one year ago. and germany's interior minister accused of insensitivity about joking about failed asylum-seekers in sent back to afghanistan. ♪ brent: i'm brent goff. it's good to have you with us. we know now one of the two teams that will vie for the world cup title later this week. france has sealed a spot at the finals after defeating belgium.

here at the big table is jonathan crane from our sports desk. talk us through this game. jonathan: france carried out the defensive net -- master class. five minutes into the second half they got their goal. here it is. heading in from the corner. anton there, he got ahead, headed the ball in, 1-0 france, and that was how it stayed. belgium could simply not find a way through. france had brilliant defending. he helped keep belgium out. 1-0 to france, deservedly so. brent: how impressed were you by francis performance? -- france's performance? jonathan: my main impression

from france this tournament is i'm disappointed they have not attacked that much. but what we saw again tonight is the just know how to win again. i was particularly impressed in the midfield. he did job of nullifying -- he did an excellent job of nullifying. they did not really get firing. they did not manage to break through the french ranks. again, france did exactly what they needed to do. brent: what was the atmosphere like in the stadium? oliver: it was one of the stranger atmospheres i have experienced in his world cup. having seen russia play and african teams play with fervent support. it was a little quieter tonight,

i think partly because there were a lot of brazil fans who clearly expected their team to beat dell jim in the last round -- beat belguim in the last round. they still came to the stadium. the french fans i have to give some credit to. they made a lot of noise and supported their team dropped a game. brent: does france look like they're going to win the whole thing now? jonathan: whoever they play in the final, either england or croatia, they will start the match as favorites. because france has progressively gotten better as this tournament has gone on. in the group stage they didn't press too -- didn't impress too much. but with every performance they have played better and better. attacking-wise, they have not been too exciting. but they have done what they needed to do.

today they got the formation spot on. brent: belgium keeps so close to reaching their first-ever final. how disappointed is it, especially to be knocked out by arrivals? jonathan: we made a lot of the rivalry in this game. these players know each other. there will be a huge amount of disappointment. there was a lot of expectation on the belgium side. they talked about the golden generation. they still have some years ahead of them, so this is not the end of the golden generation. given what we saw from them in previous rounds, they will be incredibly disappointed. this is probably one of their best chances in a long time to get the final. brent: how passionate with the belgian fans in russia? oliver: the european fans

generally have not been as loud as some of the other fans, especially the south american fans. belgians definitely went out in the center of moscow. they have been some of the more boisterous fans, without causing any trouble as well, which is nice. generally they have been a really good influence on this tournament. it is sad be saying goodbye to them now. but the french fans were great in the stadium tonight and we will see them one more t time in moscow. brent: and all eyes will be on that final game tomorrow night as well. oliver and jonathan, to both of you, thank you. to the end of a story now that seemed almost impossible two weeks ago. tonight, against all the odds, all 12 boys and their soccer coach have been freed from a flooded cave in thailand. ambulances took the last of the boys and their coach to a local

hospital, where they are said to be in good condition. the boys, aged 11 to 16, spent more than two weeks deep inside the cave after water sealed off their exit route. one rescue diver died last week. today, an underground nightmare finally came to an end. reporter: it was the outcome the world had been hoping and praying for. there was jubilation as news reached the volunteers helping with the rescue operation. all 12 of the boys and their coach safely out of the cave and recovering in hospital. >> today is a great day. all the boys are safe now. reporter: triumph, too, for the regional governor who led the hazardous multinational mission to get the boys out. >> no one thought we could do it, but we did it. it was a first for the world thanks to the thai people, government agencies, and the private sector. reporter: specialist for divers and member's of the thai navy

elite seal unit succeeded against all the odds in bringing out the group. two divers guided each of the boys and their coach through more than four kilometers through dark, narrow and partially floodeded tunnels. >> when i saw the diver in the horizon, cannot see that far, i still did not know if it was a casualty or not. so i was really scared. but then i saw he was alive and breathing and seemed to be all right. it felt very good. reporter: a fleet of ambulances rescue the boys from the cave entrance to hospital nearby. for the families, it had been an agonizing wait. 18 days hoping against hope

that their loved ones would be brouought out alivive. >> i want to thank everyone who took part. the government and all the officials, the police, the soldiers, and the seals, both from thailand and abroad. reporter: joy and relief on all sides. but for the football team known as the wild boars, their harrowing underground ordeal is finally over. brent: dw's daniel cooper is standing by at the hospital where the boys have been whisked off to. we know that the parents of all the boys had agreed to know reunion until everyone had in -- to no reunion until everyone had been rescued. have the parents had a chance to see their children? daniel: we are learning at the parents still were not able to embrace their kids but they were able to see them through a window.

also earlier we saw an ambulance coming to the hospital and parents were able to get a glimpse of their kids. they still have to wait a couple of days until they really get reunited with their kids. doctors are saying at the moment that they are still a little bit worried that the kids could maybe suffer from infection. that is why y they are doioing s at the moment. in general that is a we e also heard during the press conferencece, that despite what happened, the kids are in pretty good condition. some of them as we are learning had been suffering with low body temperature. but in general they are in goood spirits, they had been asking for their favorite dishes, and in general they are in a good mood. brent: that is good to hear, it is good news. but we cannot talk about a total happy ending. we have to remember that a thai

navy seal lost his life in this operation. and this was a very international operation. who was involved? daniel: exactly. many people here also talk about this navy diver that didn't make -- that died during this mission. earlier we saw some people here, they h had his picture. this was really an international task force that was going on here. already from the beginning the thai government was saying we can do this -- we cannot do this on our own, we need international help. so they were asking for volunteers, professional divers. this was really a mission from the navy seals here in thailand with divers from denmark, from the united kingdom. and because of that, we have had this really y successful operatn

happening today and yesterday. brent: we have heard tonight that fifa has invited the boys to come to the world cup final in moscow. after all, these boys are part of a football team. will they be able to make it? is it realistic? daniel: no, i don't think it is realistic. also what we heard from the doctors isn't they want the boys to stay about five to seven days here in hospital. we have to remember, they were in days in escape without food, very limited access to water. so they really want to make sure that the boys are in good conditions before leaving the hospital. we don't know, maybe some of them were not that tired. maybe the ones that were rescued yesterday. we have not gotten any information. maybe they were watching the soccer game on tv at the hospital, all on the eighth floor in the hospital here behind me. brent: daniel koop in thailand

where those boys and soccer players are being treated tonight. thank you very much. here are some of the other stories now that are making headlines around the world. the british man poisoned with the novichok nerve agent 10 days ago has regained consciousness. charlie was poisoned along with his partner. she died on sunday. the couple collapsed near salisbury, the city where former russian spy sergei skripal and his daughter were exposed to the nerve agent back in march. in germany, the trial is about to end for neo-nazi suspect for a murder spree that left 10 people dead over five years. the trial has been going on for just as long, making it the second longest trial in postwar german history. evidence in court suggested that the alleged murderers got away with the crimes for so long because of police incompetence. the widow of the chinese nobel

peace prize laureate liu xiaobo has left china to start a new life here in europe. she arrived right here in berlin a few hours ago. liu xia has been kept under near total house arrest without formal charges since 2010 when her husband was awarded the prize. his calls for democracy angered beijing. reporter: the aircraft carrying liu xia landed in berlin tuesday evening. that ends eight years of what critics of the chinese government say was virtual imprisonment for the widow of one of china's most internationally well-known dissidents. liu xia was confined to a home a few days after her husband , liu xiaobo, became the first chinese recipient of the nobel peace prize in 2010. liu xiaobo called for political conforms and the end of one

party ruling in china, views that earned him an 11 year prison sentence. he died of liver cancer in july 2017. >> i never expected him to win the nobel peace prize and i can't leave the house. it is absolutely absurd. even kafka could not have written this with any more absurdity. reporter: liu xia a is reportey also ill and suffering from depression. her release comes amidst government consultations between china and germany. china says liu xia's release is not political. >> she is going to germany for medical treatment in accordance with her own wishes. there is no connection with the governmental talks going on right now in berlin. reporter: many observers think it is hardly accidental that liu xia was allowed to leave china

just as german chancellor angela merkel welcomed the chinese premier to berlin. with the u.s. threatening a trade war with both china and the eu, the two leaders could be seeking to forge closer ties, both in trade and diplomacy. brent: earlier a dissident chinese artist spoke to dw exclusively from bangladesh. here is what he said about liu xia's releasese and germany's re in that releasase. >> liuiu xia has been n unfairlt in house arrest for so many years, which is such a dreadful situation. the whole international community has been arguing about this. especially when the german chancellor paid so much attention about liu xia's case and made such an effort.

germany has been for a long time to negotiate with chinese government about chinese political prisoners. and liu xia's relelease is a positive, something. a positive sign for this kind of international effort. brent: you're watching "dw news." still to come, germany's interior minister has been accused of insensitivity after he appeared to joke about failed asylum-seekers being sent back to afghanistan on his birthday. over to fanny and the effects of that ongoing tariff battle. fanny: it is only a week since the latest tit-for-tat -- multinationals are already

scrambling so that goods headed to the u.s. to not pass through china. the first american carmakers are raising their prices to make up for higher duties. reporter: tesla is the first american company announcing it is raising prices in china. the move comes in response to beijing's decision to impose tariffs on a range of u.s. products. china is the world's biggest car market and tesla cannot afford to be priced out. plans are already underway to build a factory in shanghai which would allow the company to avoid terrorists in the future. -- avoid tariffs in the future. bmw is also -- the company manufactures it's x series at a plant in north carolina.

each year about 100,000 china. bmw is also renting up production in china in response to new tariffs on u.s. imports. fanny: let's turn to jens korte in new york. as we just heard, tesla is building a factory in china. at the same time it is announcing higher prices in china. does that mean they are likely to go around the west to produce even cheaper in china? jens: china and tesla made it official on tuesday that they will start manufacturing cars in china probably in about two years. i'm quite sure that those plans have an in the making win before this trade war, if a make all -- if i may call it this. china is the biggest market for tesla behind the u.s., so in that respect it makes sense to produce cars within china. the stock of tesla treated to

the upside by a good percent. what makes this deal especially important is because for the first time, a foreign carmaker is allowed to manufacture cars in china without a chinese partner. fanny: why is it then that markets seem to be so far unaffected by the ongoing tariff battle? jens: investors on wall street seem to be tirired with all the trade talks. actually not that much is happening at this point, at least not that much news. investors on wall street are rather focusing on the upcoming earnings season that will kick off on friday when the big u.s. banks will come out with earnings reports. overall wall street is very upbeat net this earnings season -- that this earnings season will be good because of tax cuts, primarily because of oil prices increasing.

especially in the commodity and energy sectors, investors are pretty sure profits more than double in comparison to last year. so overall wall street expects that profits will increase on average by a good 20%. that would be the second best earnings growth we have seen in the past eight years. therefore stocks are up for the seventh day. fanny: a very optimistic wall street. jens korte, thank you very much for the update. onto a different story. one rhino is killed every seven hours in africa. and an elephant every 30 minutes. what is to blame? greed for ivory. china pulled the emergency brakes last year and put a straight and -- ban on ivory trade. but they are full of loopholes, with disastrous consequences, as our next report shows. reporter: these two elephant

cubs may soon end up like this. more elephants are killed by poachers every year. despite various trade embargoes, ivory is in high demand. various countries in europe has become of us of the internatational ivory tradede. in germamany alone, authorities confiscated 1.2 tons of illegal ivory in 2016. trade embargoes in europe full of loopholes. the resaleof ivory purchase before 1989 is legal. if the ivory comes from animals who died of natural causes it can also be sold legally. but these loopholes are exploited by traders to struggle illegally ivoryy via legal trad. a study has shown that various ivory products are treated online without certification. animal rights activists have now handed a petition to the germany environment ministry with more than1 70,000 -- more than

170,000 signatures. similar commands are coming from africa. 32 countries appealed to the eu to finally shut down the ivory market. fanny: that's your business update for now. now back to brent. brent: here in germany, the controversial interior minister has been accused of being insensitive and his ongoing battle with chancellor angela merkel over immigration policy. horst seehofer was talking about his long promised migration plan when he made an observation about his birthday to failed asylum-seekers being deported to afghanistan. we will let you listen. >> on the same day as my 69th birthday there were 69 people sent back to afghanistan. that is far more than what has usually been up to now. brent: our political spore --

what was that? was that just insert foot in mouth now and think later? >> it was definitely more than just a tasteless jos. if anything -- tasteless joke. if anything it shows light on this blase attitude that horst seehofer is starting to take towards germany's migration policy debate. it goes against this call that we are hearing within the eu and brussels, from chancellor angela merkel recently, to have more humanity and remember that migration policy is about humans, it is about people. this goes completely against this call. particularly deportations of afghans from germany is still quite a controversial issue. of course afghanistan is still not technically a safe country. you have the talent man and other islamists still fighting.

after the theatrical we have seen from horst seehofer in the last three weeks over germany's migration policy, this really takes his attitude towards that to a whole new level. brent: this master plan on migration that he unveiled, it has in it ideas that have already been rejected by other members of this coalition government. so what is he doing? is he just trying to flout the concerns of other parties and push his own agenda through? he cannot do that. kate: exactly. i think the whole press conference today was really quite provocative. what he presented at the end of the day was an out of date plan. it did not even include, as you mentioned, any of those 11th hour changes, which were --

merkel's conservatives, social democrats, also tried to undermine angela merkel. he said today this plan, he admitted, was agreed upon by the interior ministry and not by the coalition government. of course is completely sidesteps merkel and undermines her authority and her credibility. brent: almost as if the events of last week did not really happen. kate brady, as always, thank you ray much. here's a reminder of the top stories where falling for you. friends are going to the world cup final thanks to a 1-0 victory over belgium. they are going to their first final in 12 years. it will be against either england or croatia. they have been celebrating in thailand after the last four

boys and her soccer coach were brought safely out of the c cave where e they had been trapped fr more than two weeks. there are now in hospital with a arare said to be in good condition. and the widow of a nobel peace prize winner has left china to start a new life in europe. liu xia arrived in berlin a couple hours ago. she had been under house arrest since 2010 when her late husband was awarded the prize. you're watching "dw news," live from berlin. after a short break i'll be back to take you through the day. stick around for that. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

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